The Greatest Day in My Sport (Watching) Life

I only went to bed at 2:40am last night after trying to wind down by watching the first half of the Manchester derby - go City by the way, thank you for capping off the greatest day/night in my sport (watching) life by beating the team I most despise :) I hope you win the Premier League but long way to go yet.

Anyway, Sunday, 23 October 2011 was always going to be a special day for New Zealanders after the All Blacks qualified for the Rugby World Cup Final last weekend. But there were a few good appetizers to chew on for New Zealand sporting fans.  

The Silver Ferns took on Australia's Diamonds in the third of their five test series in Perth and in hindsight, probably provided the most alarming omen of things to come that night. The Ferns dominated the game only for the Diamonds to stage their typical 4th quarter comeback - led by the massive and back-to-blonde Caitlin Bassett who really should be the starting goal shoot for the Diamonds IMO - and almost steal the game right at the end. However, the Ferns' mental strength and turnovers came through in the end as they triumphed by a single point.  

Then there was the Phoenix who actually kicked off half-an-hour before the RWC Final - also in that great city in the middle of nowhere. Shane Smeltz scored the solitary goal against the Phoenix - bittersweet moment for Kiwis but it still should be considered an addition to a night of Kiwi glory. Speaking of Kiwi glory in the spherical ball code, Chris Wood has continued his hot scoring streak for Birmingham City and has really caught the eye in Europe.

So to the main course - which turned out to be a bit like trying to crack open a watermelon with you bare hands.

For the first time in the Rugby World Cup, the All Blacks were not the dominant side. Once Carter had gone, the All Blacks were always going to have to win this World Cup with their world class leading pack and defence. They did but they certainly did not expect a French scrum to have parity with them which held its own and even nudged ahead at times rather than splinter like many a scrum at this World Cup.

In fact, they appeared to be playing within themselves although part of it may have been down to nerves - that certainly was in Weepu's case, the Wainuiomata man didn't impose himself on the game as he had in the last two. Part of it was certainly down to the preparation and gameplan of the French which nearly resulted in a great upset.

The battle of the breakdown appeared to have been won by the French with Thierry Dusautoir and Imanol Harinodoquy absolutely protecting French ball like they were protecting the crown jewels. McCaw and Read were frustrated but ultimately clung on and eventually affected the turnover that effectively sealed the result for the All Blacks.

So the drought is over. And it feels good. New Zealand thoroughly deserved it after all the tragedies in the last year or so, i.e. Pike River and the Christchurch earthquake.

Anyway, keep partying, sleeping in, recovering, etc. New Zealand!  
 
 

2011 Rugby World Cup Tournament XV

Oh well, probably time to do it I guess since my mate, Aquinas Hall RA and Dunedin Technical shot-stopper, Stephen Downey has come up with his XV.

1. Tony Woodcock, New Zealand
2. Keven Mealamu, New Zealand
3. Owen Franks, New Zealand
4. Danie Roussow, South Africa
5. Lionel Nallet, France
6. Jerome Kaino, New Zealand
7. David Pocock, Australia
8. Toby Faletau, Wales
9. Mike Phillips, Wales
10. Tusi Pisi, Samoa
11. Vincent Clerc, France
12. Ma'a Nonu, New Zealand
13. Jacque Fourie, South Africa
14. Cory Jane, New Zealand
15. Israel Dagg, New Zealand 

SUBSTITUTES:
Bismarck du Plessis, South Africa
Gethin Jenkins, Wales
Paul O'Connell, Ireland
Sam Warburton, Wales
Will Genia, Australia
Francois Steyn, South Africa 
Jamie Roberts, Wales

By the way yes I did notice Stevo's team only featured teams in the knockout stages but there were quite a few outstanding players who missed out playing knockout football, i.e. Tusi Pisi was magnificent in piloting the Samoan backline. I was tempted to put Carter in if he hadn't been knocked out - it hasn't really been a great tournament for first fives to be honest.

On the other hand, it's been a brilliant tournament to be a halfback - Kahn Fotuali'i, Dmitri Yachvilli, Morgan Parra and Piri Weepu were unlucky to miss out. 


PLAYERS OF THE TOURNAMENT (for me): The All Black front row. Have not put a foot wrong during this tournament and have totally outplayed anyone they faced in the scrums. And they're good going forward too.

Warren Gatland: hero or idiot?

You can read it all here: http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/rugby_union/welsh/15347253.stm

In my opinion, the media have once again decided to make a story out of nothing just because someone admitted he considered cheating. Yet, rather than praise Gatland for being strong enough not to fall to the temptation of manipulating the rules to win a game even if it was Wales' biggest test match in decades, the media have highlighted the fact that Gatland did consider cheating, did consider feigning an injury to one of his front rowers and forcing golden oldie scrums so to negate the disadvantage Wales suffered as a result of Sam Warburton's red card.

In this age where professionalism has really taken hold in sport and the difference between winning and losing is life or death, Gatland's honesty and subsequent reaction should be applauded and praised - this has been a missed opportunity by the media and I hope the IRB who have not really had a great time of it in the eyes of followers of the sport, do make the right decision and let him off with a slap on the wrist and a bit of praise from above for being good sports.

Warren Gatland's reputation has been enhanced tremendously at this tournament, awakening a sleeping giant from its slumber and guiding the little principality to its best RWC performance in years. His reputation should be further enhanced by his integrity which led to his decision not to cheat when lesser men would have done so in the aftermath of such a dramatic moment in a game of huge magnitude.

Final Breakdown: RWC Semifinals

I'll let my affiliate blog: http://www.superrugbytips.com do most of the talking on New Zealand's religion. But here's my quick thoughts on the RWC Semifinals over the weekend.

Wales v France

1. In retrospect, Sam Warburton's red card was correct as dictated by the IRB laws. The fact is Warburton did let Vincent Clerc go in mid-air which is extremely dangerous (as we saw with Keven Mealamu and Tana Umaga with Brian O'Driscoll in 2005). I have said before that spear tackles are a blight on the game and need to be eliminated - the only way to do that is by applying the strongest punishment, i.e. red card.

2. The fact that Wales were only a kick away from winning this game despite playing with 14 men for 63 minutes of this game shows how poor and limited a team France are at this World Cup. The signs were apparent before Warburton's sending-off; France coughed up the ball several times in the red zone. Their tactic of kicking every ball out was bizarre to say the least when you would have thought driving up the middle of those forwards would have been the way to do it.

3. Yes, Wales may have a team that could be world champion in the future but the Rugby World Cup is a tournament where you have to grab your opportunities or you'll have plenty of regrets - any All Blacks fan will tell you this. I fear that Wales may not get a better chance of making a RWC Final than this one. Nevertheless, the small nation tacked to the West Country should be very proud of their team; but unfortunately this RWC has just become another great edition to the British Isles' so-close-yet-so-far-and-what-if stories at World Cups (football included).

New Zealand v Australia

1. All the pundits were saying that to win this game, the All Blacks needed to dominate up front right from the word go and leave the foot firmly on the throttle. They also said that an early try and penalty would also go a long way towards victory. All Blacks fans witnessed all of these things on Sunday night and the 20-6 scoreline did flatter the Wallabies somewhat. What joy it was seeing the Wallabies scrum disintegrate like a Lada being hit by a tank.

2. Yes, we love ganging up on the Australians when we beat them - they do that to us all the time after all and thoroughly deserve it. But credit should be given to Robbie Deans for getting the Wallabies even this far. One has to remember that unlike in New Zealand and South Africa, rugby union is in a massive fight with rugby league and Australian rules football not just for the national public's attention but for players - it's a dog-eats-dog world as witnessed with league stars, Israel Folau and Karmichael Hunt leaving league to go to Aussie rules. After years of being clearly third rate to the Boks and ABs and a bit of fodder for top Northern Hemisphere sides, Dingo Deans has planted the shoots for a potentially great Australian side just as Mitchell helped sow the seeds for this current All Blacks side which has reached its full potential with Henry and co. It took 3 World Cups for McCaw's generation to make a Final and given how young the likes of Pocock, Beale and O'Connor are, there is still hope for Wallabies fans - and perhaps a bit more to worry about for the rest of the rugby world.

3. Aaron Cruden's drop goal for me was the moment that really accelerated the ABs run to victory. It was the sort of confidence booster we dream of seeing from someone who has only started a test for the ABs until last night, who wasn't even in the original squad until two weeks ago, who has had his own personal battles to fight, and one who has had to battle his many doubters. Once that drop goal went over, the ABs signalled to the opposition that there were no more flaws in this side even at the position everyone thought the ABs would be in trouble in once Carter limped out of the World Cup. Cruden has always had the talent and the confidence to be an All Black first five and now it can be safely said that the All Blacks don't miss Carter too much.

Breakdown - RWC 2011 Semifinals

Find the full teams here at our affiliate site: http://www.superrugbytips.com/

Quick breakdown of the 2 RWC2011 semifinals this weekend though since I have run out of work at work (done the windup of Australian colleagues dash).

Wales v France -
France may have the experience of playing at this stage of the Rugby World Cup that the Welsh don't but experience counts for nothing if you don't have the quality - France were awful the last time they played a semifinal in the Rugby World Cup.

Wales will feel they can beat France anywhere and have the personnel to match and beat the French. IMO Warburton has an extra ability that Dusautoir doesn't have - the ability to carry the ball.

James Hook was once hailed by many as Wales' greatest talent but it hasn't quite turned out as many would have liked. Just like South Africa's Francois Steyn, Hook has been shuffled between fullback, first-five, centre, etc. However, his talent is undeniable as is his ability to direct games. He also offers a bit of experience where Priestland lacked. And if all else fails, bring on the experienced and solid Stephen Jones off the bench. Another edge to Wales.

Elsewhere it is quite even - tight forwards, backs. It now comes down to who plays with that extra percentage on Saturday night.

Wales are playing like they did when they won the Grand Slam in 2005 and 2008. They've also got home knowledge courtesy of their Kiwi coach, Warren Gatland who knows New Zealand spring time conditions from the back of his hand.

Wales by 5.

New Zealand v Australia -
The most overanalysed, hyped up game in recent New Zealand rugby history. On paper, the NZ forwards clearly have the edge of their Australian counterparts. It's whether they choose to exercise that physicality - when they don't as we saw in Brisbane, they were cannon fodder for the Australians. Perhaps Pocock may have the edge over an aging McCaw but McCaw does have an in-form Kaino and Read to back him up, while Pocock only really has Elsom.

Then there's the centres, Nonu and Smith who should have it over their Australian counterparts, McCabe and Faainga (well really depends if Beale plays too!).

New Zealand are at home at Eden Park, a place where they have the best test record. And then there's the sellout crowd probably dressed in black. Kiwis also play with passion and pride when they're surrounded by an equally passionate crowd.

NZ by 3.